Flexible robotic teleoperation architecture for intelligent oil fields

Teleoperation virtual platforms allow people to send their skills and capacities into machines located in either relative close (few meters away) or far (different continents) locations. With the use of lightweight protocols, people can remotely control the actions and movements of robots so they can avoid physical interaction with dangerous or risky places. Oil and gas well-pads stations are working zones considered hazardous due to the various chemical substances used in their daily processes. This characteristic makes these places the perfect candidates for the implementation of teleoperation solutions in order to reduce the direct interaction of humans with different chemicals and risky situations. The following investigation focuses on the development of a base teleoperation scheme to perform inspection and maintenance tasks in the inside one of these hydrocarbon facilities. The proposed system aims to generate an easily scalable teleoperation solution using distributed control schemes and a lightweight communication protocol to remotely manipulate a KUKA mobile manipulator. As the first stage of this investigation, the main result focuses on the development of the generic control and communication functions that allow the physical testing of the system using a KUKA YouBOT mobile manipulator and the help of a qualified operator of the station. Computer science; Electrical engineering; Systems engineering; Automation; Computer engineering; Robotics; Electromechanics; Petroleum industry; IEC-61499; MQTT protocol; Robot operating system (ROS); Teleoperation; Oil & Gas process